The Long Good Friday [dir. John Mackenzie]

The Long Good Friday (TLGF) begins with a confusing montage of scenes where you see a case stacked with money carried via multiple couriers to some remote location, then the guys who finally get it picked up by armed forces. This is followed by the scene of a funeral procession, from which one of the mourners detours to spit on a guy's face. We're yet to process the significance of these events when the movie's lead Bob Hoskins makes a grand entry as Harold Shand.

Harold is a successful mobster that has, either by eliminating his rivals or brokering a truce, managed to bring "peace" to London city. He is now in the midst of making a deal to get funds from across the ocean for a massive development project that will make him and his partners very rich. With an elegant mistress who doubles as a diplomat in his dealings (Helen Mirren) and an able team of lieutenants, Shand seems to have it all. But he receives a massive slap across the face with multiple violent incidents targeting his empire, almost in a single day.

Harold is outraged at this affront. Who is this invisible, but ruthless foe that has stepped out to challenge his fiefdom and endanger his crucial expansion plans? In frantic damage control mode he orders his men - including corrupt cop Parky (Dave King) - to dig out the perpetrators, while simultaneously soothing the apprehensions of American partner Charlie (Eddie Constantine). This is a tightrope act across a high-rise in a gale, and as the clock ticks, Harold finds the balance trickier.

Harold Shand is a terrifically conceived character. On one hand, he's a rough, ruthless thug with a violent streak (an assault with a broken bottle is shocking). But in his own manner he's also a British patriot - he wants to see London lead the "New Europe", and better the conditions of his old neighborhood. Harold is proud of his self-made status and isn't about to cow down to any challengers, whoever they may be.

I won't describe the plot elements any more, because for those that haven't already seen the film, the fun is in the finding out. Brian Keefe's script for TLGF has a lot going for it. It's a gritty crime drama that harks back to Mike Hodges' Get Carter for the treatment. The choice of Hoskins for the lead was a brave one - short, stocky and already balding he certainly was no Michael Caine in the looks department. But Hoskins brings a ferocity and, in his scenes with Mirren, a tenderness that totally sells the part. Even with the sadistic violence innate to Harold's nature, he manages to make you empathize with the man's feelings.

Helen Mirren also delivers a committed performance (apparently one that she insisted on rewrites for, the part originally being that of a typical moll). Between her and Bob, the chemistry is very believable, which goes a long way to immerse you in the film. There's a terrific supporting cast (including a young Pierce Brosnan in a nearly wordless role). DoP Phil Meheux's fluid camera and John Mackenzie's direction generate some memorable scenes - one set in a meat packing factory is incredible for its sheer audacity.

On the whole, TLGF comes recommended as a bloody good Brit crime drama. Neil Jordan's Mona Lisa (1986), also starring Hoskins and produced by Handmade Films, makes for a wonderful complement to this one. 

A few words about the blu-ray presentation from Arrow Video:

Arrow's blu-ray transfer comes from an in-house 2K scan+restoration, which like Mona Lisa, was approved by the DoP. Apart from perhaps tighter grain resolution, I don't know if a 4k process would bring much by way of improvement, at least for blu-ray release. Detail is terrific, and the texture is respectful of the film's style and vintage. The mono audio is in great form as well, both for the dialog and for the excellent score. Extras include a director's audio commentary , a solid hour long documentary with inputs from the major cast and crew, and a few short newer interviews with selected crew members. I believe the booklet for this one was limited to the 2015 steelbook release that also had a bonus disc of extras.